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Install and configure the Cloud Monitoring Agent

Article ID: 3194

Last updated on February 18, 2015

Authored by: Susan Million

This article describes different methods for installing and configuring the Cloud Monitoring Agent on a cloud server. You install the Cloud Monitoring Agent on the servers you want to monitor. The agent gathers data based on the checks that you configure, including checks for host information and host metrics, and custom-defined checks.

Install the monitoring agent by using the Cloud Intelligence interface

We recommend using the Cloud Intelligence web-based interface to install and configure the monitoring agent. The Cloud Intelligence interface provides easy installation and set up as well as graphs for visualizing Cloud Monitoring. The Cloud Intelligence interface has many more monitoring configuration and visualization options than the Cloud Control Panel, including three methods for installing the monitoring agent: Quick Install, Step By Step, and Source.

To use the Cloud Intelligence interface to install the agent:

Click the name of the entity (the object or resource that you want to monitor) for your server. If your server is not a cloud server or cloud database from Rackspace, create the entity by entering the name of the server that you want to monitor, and then clicking Create Entity.

In the Monitoring Details section of the entity details page, click Install Agent next to the Monitoring Agent option.
The Monitoring Agent Installation page opens.

Choose the platform of your server and then click one of the following tabs:

Quick Install: This method provides a simple command that you can copy and then paste into a shell window after you are logged in to the server that you want to monitor.

Step By Step: This method provides a series of commands that give you insight into the agent installation process.

Source: This method takes you directly to the open-source agent pages where you can download the agent.

3. Completing the steps for any method installs the agent immediately. You can then continue to create checks for the agent, which you can also do within the Cloud Intelligence interface.

Install the monitoring agent by using meta packages

The meta packages installation obviates the need to install the certificate or create a repository manually.

Install the monitoring agent by using other methods

For more information about the monitoring agent and in-depth installation and configuration information, see the following sections in the Rackspace Cloud Monitoring Developers Guide, Install the agent and Configure the agent sections.

Upgrade the agent

The agent does not upgrade itself. However, if you've added the agent repository to a Linux system, the agent is upgraded when you run a system update.

For Windows and other systems that do not have the agent in a package repository, you must upgrade the agent manually by following the installation instructions in Install the agent on the server.

If you upgrade manually, we recommend that you check for an upgrade to the agent every three to four weeks.

Uninstall the agent

Use the standard method for your operating system to uninstall the agent.

Ubuntu and Debian

On Ubuntu and Debian systems, run the following command:

sudo apt-get remove rackspace-monitoring-agent

CentOS, Red Hat, and Fedora

On CentOS, Red Hat, and Fedora, run the following command:

sudo yum remove rackspace-monitoring-agent

Windows

On Windows, use the Add/Remove Programs utility in the Windows Control Panel.